Paul Mescal’s Complete Dating History

In 2020, Paul Mescal became everyone’s crush as Connell in Hulu’s Normal People, based on the book by Irish author Sally Rooney. Many fans of the show hoped he was actually in a relationship with his co-star, Daisy Edgar-Jones. The pair had amazing chemistry on-screen and are quite close off.

But they are only friends. Edgar-Jones is currently dating photographer Ben Seed, though she did recently share pictures from Glastonbury Festival featuring both her boyfriend and her pal Mescal.

In February 2023, Mescal told Vanity Fair about how interest in his love life has been aggravating as a high-profile celebrity.

“Sometimes I can drown it out and then other times it makes me really mad and upset,” he said. “People are going to write and say things because there’s a certain interest with any person who’s in the public eye in how that person lives their life, and who they’re living up with, and what they’re doing and how they’re going about doing it.”

He added, “And look, a lot of the time people are really kind about their support for me. That’s my predominant experience.”

Here’s what is known about Mescal’s dating history so far.

Beginning in early 2020, Mescal and music artist Phoebe Bridgers struck up a relationship. It began after Bridgers saw the actor in Normal People and reached out with a few flirtatious tweets. In her now-deleted posts, Bridgers joked about watching the show and feeling “sad and horny.”

Mescal responded, and they apparently struck up a private conversation. Their official first meeting was during an Instagram livestream for Wonderland magazine. She told NME in June that “the cute boy” from the show had followed her on Instagram, adding, “I got a little pitter-patter in my heart when I saw.”

By November 2020, Mescal indicated he had a girlfriend in an interview with GQ, saying she was a “lifesaver” during lockdown.

“To have someone to lean on through such a mad, mad time has been invaluable. Really, I don’t know where I’d be without her,” he said.

Just a month later, he starred in the music video for “Savior Complex,” one of Bridgers’ hit songs.

It wasn’t until November 2021 that they went red carpet official, attending the LACMA Art + Film Gala together.

A month later, in another deleted post, Bridgers shared a shot of them standing by the water on her Instagram timeline. They also attended the 2022 Met Gala together, and it was rumored they were engaged. But by early 2023, it was believed they’d actually split up. She went on to date comedian Bo Burnham.

Mescal has never commented on the split but told Harper’s Bazaar in August 2023 that he resents speculation and a sense of “entitlement” to information.

“The stuff that hurts is the personal stuff,” he explained. “It’s nobody else’s business and should never be commented on because it’s indecent. And it’s unkind.”

Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.